iM 4,1-14,4 2011 iMac Graphics Card Upgrade

[ricomack]

Hi folks,

In preparation for installing my new GPU in my 12,2 iMac, I'm wondering if I need a different thermopaste for the memory and GPU. I read in a post on this forum where an individual used a different paste for memory than was used for the GPU. Unfortunately I can't seem to locate that post again.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Hi folks,

In preparation for installing my new GPU in my 12,2 iMac, I'm wondering if I need a different thermopaste for the memory and GPU. I read in a post on this forum where an individual used a different paste for memory than was used for the GPU. Unfortunately I can't seem to locate that post again.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Google: What kind of thermo pad I should use on VRAM.

 

[BuKandar83]

Hello folks,

I would like to update my iMac 27" Mid 2011 with GeForce GTX 765M to OpenCoreLegacy Patcher 1.3.0 and to Mac OS Sonoma. My question now would be, does this work with this GeForce GTX 765M graphics card?

I'm confused because the github article says: With the release of OpenCore Legacy Patcher v1.3.0, this build is primarily targeted for macOS 14.2 and Macs with Metal 3802-based Graphics Cards. I don't know, is this Card a 3802-based Card.

Greatings

Pete

I have same imac and gpu you have

GTX 765m the last supported macOS is big sur if you want to go higher then you have to patch your root fileSystem

in my experience when you patching a root to enabling a gpu driver your mac become slower than before, So my advice to NOT go higher than macOS 11 big sur

**i did upgrade my MBP13" 15 to macOS 13 using OCLP and patch intel gpu i ending with heavy boot and slow run

 

[m0bil]

And here with Ventura.

The only problem with Catalina was the hibernation, always hung up (white display). Everything runs perfectly with Ventura!

My next step is a CPU upgrade with a Core i7-2600s

No need to use the "s" part, you can safely use an i7-2600 which are cheaper and easier to find (as long as you replaced the HDD by an SSD).

 

[NewbiePete]

I have same imac and gpu you have

GTX 765m the last supported macOS is big sur if you want to go higher then you have to patch your root fileSystem

in my experience when you patching a root to enabling a gpu driver your mac become slower than before, So my advice to NOT go higher than macOS 11 big sur

**i did upgrade my MBP13" 15 to macOS 13 using OCLP and patch intel gpu i ending with heavy boot and slow run

Thanx for your answer, i have currently Mac OS Monterey installed and would like to install Mac OS Sonoma, but i dont't know what's the matter with the 3802-based Card.

Can you help me ?

 

[cvasi2006]

Hello, I have Imac 2011 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M 2047 MB video card and I don't have the boot screen anymore, can someone help me how to reinstall the operating software, thanks

 

[BuKandar83]

Thanx for your answer, i have currently Mac OS Monterey installed and would like to install Mac OS Sonoma, but i dont't know what's the matter with the 3802-based Card.

Can you help me ?

OCLP 1.3.0 changelog

Resolve 3802-GPU support for macOS 14.2 Beta 2 and newer.

• Applicable GPUs:
  • Intel Ivy Bridge and Haswell iGPUs
  • Nvidia Kepler dGPUs

 

[ImExtra]

I have a iMac 12,2 (mid 2011 27") I upgraded to 1tb SSD, i7-2600, 32gb ram with parts I had. I'm running High Sierra and want to upgrade GPU currently HD6770M ( comfortable to mod ) and want the highest OS version stable to run. Should I go for Metal and which is the best GPU been looking at Ali and ebay I see GTX765M on the low side or GTX880M also been thinking Quadro series even AMD... I have read the threads just unsure what's less hassle for value most compatible GPU transplant? I would like a boot screen most maybe even brightness. Any good insight from someone with experience to push me off the fence? Could I run Ventura/Sonoma ? Or should I only push it to Big Sur. Any suggestions Greatly Appreciated! Also I'm electrical/computer experienced but am learning a lot about apple rn $50-$150.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I have a iMac 12,2 (mid 2011 27") I upgraded to 1tb SSD, i7-2600, 32gb ram with parts I had. I'm running High Sierra and want to upgrade GPU currently HD6770M ( comfortable to mod ) and want the highest OS version stable to run. Should I go for Metal and which is the best GPU been looking at Ali and ebay I see GTX765M on the low side or GTX880M also been thinking Quadro series even AMD... I have read the threads just unsure what's less hassle for value most compatible GPU transplant? I would like a boot screen most maybe even brightness. Any good insight from someone with experience to push me off the fence? Could I run Ventura/Sonoma ? Or should I only push it to Big Sur. Any suggestions Greatly Appreciated! Also I'm electrical/computer experienced but am learning a lot about apple rn $50-$150.

I would have suggested RX5500XT, but your budget was up to 150$....

 

[ImExtra]

I would have suggested RX5500XT, but your budget was up to 150$....

yeah has internal display issues and really only need 4gb vram trying to be cheap because it is an old machine but I like getting every ounce out of hardware and could be a good machine if not for gpu I'm thinking GTX 770M or 765M unless Quadro or a FirePro suggested and would go with a GTX880M already have firmware for all those just trying to decide by difficulty of install. Thank you for the suggestion

 

[ImExtra]

I would have suggested RX5500XT, but your budget was up to 150$....

I see you have 2010 imac with HP_WX4150. I was under the impression HP cards had issues and better luck with Dell Alienware cards was better? or is that a non issue with firmware flash bios chip because I have a clip on chip flasher and the firmware flash usb ( https://forums.macrumors.com/thread....1596614/page-175?post=28184981#post-28184981 ) I just want it to work really is my issue.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I see you have 2010 imac with HP_WX4150. I was under the impression HP cards had issues and better luck with Dell Alienware cards was better? or is that a non issue with firmware flash bios chip because I have a clip on chip flasher and the firmware flash usb ( https://forums.macrumors.com/thread....1596614/page-175?post=28184981#post-28184981 ) I just want it to work really is my issue.

My HP WX4150 will not work in your iMac 2011 unless 2 tiny resistors are soldered to appropriate positions on it.

 

[internetzel]

I see you have 2010 imac with HP_WX4150. I was under the impression HP cards had issues and better luck with Dell Alienware cards was better? or is that a non issue with firmware flash bios chip because I have a clip on chip flasher and the firmware flash usb ( https://forums.macrumors.com/thread....1596614/page-175?post=28184981#post-28184981 ) I just want it to work really is my issue.

Look at the post #1 of the thread: "Working AMD Graphics Cards" -> "AMD GCN v4 GPU (2016-2017)" -> "Table of GCN v4 GPU and GOP vBIOS links".
Those are the recommendable options for any macOS version later than Big Sur (in my opinion). In the last two columns "OGL" (OpenGL) and "MET" (Metal) you can see that the WX4170 has good performance and from the column "Heat Sink Mod" you can derive that the card has far less power consumption than the more performant ones, because those need a 3 pipe heat sink.
In the "Known Issues" spoiler next to "Table of GCN v4 GPU and GOP vBIOS links" you'll find further information about the particular problem with each of those cards - and the WX4170 has special problems, making it exceptionally hard to find.

Second best option performance wise would be the WX4150/WX4130. That one should be the best trade off between price and performance for you since you do already have an MXM-A heat sink for your HD6770M which fits rather easily with the WX4150/WX4130 (follow the link "special install" in the column "Heat Sink Mod" for reaching the post which contains the details of how to install the card to the heat sink).

I don't have any experience with Nvidia cards and macOS versions later than High Sierra - but comparing the values in the "MET" column of AMD and Nvidia Kepler cards suggests that any AMD GCN 4 card (like the WX4130/WX4150) is faster than all the Nvidia cards in that respect - and the Metal performance is what most matters for anything later than High Sierra.

 

[ShwayMac]

Hi there, my Mac brothers and sisters.

I have been tip-toeing around for a long time, but now I want to commit to phase 2 of the upgrades of my iMac 27".

In phase 1, I upgraded my RAM and SSD and here are the specs for my Mac today:

I recently used OCLP to upgrade my iMac to BigSur however, it is running very slow/glitchy for the apps I use regularly (adobe PS, AI, and AE, FCP), the fan seems like it's overworking and gets hot quickly.

I've read a lot here, but I'm still not clear on what GPU and any necessary accessories that are required to make my baby run better again.

Thanks for any help in advance. Really appreciate it.

 

[internetzel]

Hi there, my Mac brothers and sisters.

I have been tip-toeing around for a long time, but now I want to commit to phase 2 of the upgrades of my iMac 27".

In phase 1, I upgraded my RAM and SSD and here are the specs for my Mac today:

View attachment 2335721

I recently used OCLP to upgrade my iMac to BigSur however, it is running very slow/glitchy for the apps I use regularly (adobe PS, AI, and AE, FCP), the fan seems like it's overworking and gets hot quickly.

I've read a lot here, but I'm still not clear on what GPU and any necessary accessories that are required to make my baby run better again.

Thanks for any help in advance. Really appreciate it.

You might consider reading what has been posted in the posts just before your post.

 

[Terminative]

Experimental AMD Radeon Pro 5500XT 8GB support

This card has been (likely) produced in more than a single variant, currently I have only tested one version as shown and described below. Rumors told me approx. 5000 cards have been produced in China for crypto mining, only.
There will be no such new cards available. Most cards hit the Chinese market last year after a few years of use, most of them were reused by commercial buyers to build or rebuild PCI desktop cards - what a waste if this story is real.

Currently I believe you cannot cross flash a the vBIOS coming with this card to other models. We would have to walk the development path described below with each version, again.

Type	ident	device-id	working
Green PCB	SH149V-0 E248799	7340	yes

It is a big MXM-B card fitting into 27 inch iMac models, only! Card comes with a modern UEFI2 compliant GOP vBIOS. It has been configured to provide 5 DP output channels, OpenCore and WhateverGreen enable the internal screen on macOS login screen with apdpmod=pikera added to boot-args in the config.plist.

With the help of some friends we were able to enable the EFI boot picker using the MacPro7,1 firmware graphics drivers (many thanks to @Nick [D]vB for providing those drivers).

Following another approach with help from @internetzel we were able to modify the original vBIOS and change the 2nd DP connector type to eDP - this way the LCD panel will be recognized as an internal one providing macOS software support from brightness management.

Since one cannot flash any modified vBIOS back onto the BIOS chip we tried to inject the first 64K of the modded vBIOS using OpenCore and the ATY,bin_image property. It is important to fix the checksum of the modded vBIOS although is will be only used via OpenCore. To enable native brightness control you need to add applbkl=3 to the boot-args entry, too.

After some trial and error we thought this approach failed - but on the next morning after a night and a system sleep brightness control suddenly and finally worked - heureka!

Finally I documented the method how to modify and construct the 64K bytes to inject via OpenCore on GitHub (link on the bottom of the page).

Known issues:
- no native brightness control with Apple EG2 vBIOS (injection of modded vBIOS impossible)
- does not enable backlight on boot without wire-mod or this PCB

Known features:
- supports two external displays using both TB2 ports of an iMac12,2
- sleep/wake is working
- boot screen with OpenCore (GOP) or natively (EG2)
- brightness control working (only GOP after first system sleep)
- needs Catalina 10.15.6 or better (AMD support)
- 4K HEVC and 4K H.265 hardware support
- 5K (external) display support when using dual miniDP connection

System Support:
- tested in iMac11,1 and iMac11,3 and iMac12,2

macOS Support:
- Catalina 10.15.6, Big Sur, Monterey (no OCLP support on Ventura for NAVI dGPU)

Performance:
- GeekBench Metal: > 40.000
- GeekBench OpenCL: > 40.000
- Valley: > 65 FPS, > 2729 (is more limited by GPU core and CPU frequency, not so much by resolution)
(resolution 2560x1440, quality low: 2716, medium 2703, high 2429, ultra 2157)
(resolution 1920x1080, quality low: 2729, medium 2729, high 2442, ultra 2396).
- MetalBench: 230 MRays/s
- PowerDraw: 19W idle - 95W max (observed by HWMonitor app)

Notes:
- this card needs a big MXM-B heat sink of the Mid 2011 models and more grinding (check picture for details)
- no Apple X-clamp is fitting, a 3D printed special 1mm bed to avoid contact with small components would be great
(using a Dremel grinding away big parts the big X-clamp from the 2011 HD6970 works, too)
- move the ODD temp sensor to the heat sink!
- adjust CPU fan according to PSU Primary using Macs Fan Control, avoids an over heating PSU
- use copper plate 0,5mm width and 20mm x 20mm size to bridge a gap between GPU and heat sink and avoid deeper grinding

Credits:
- @vmbl for trying the Sonnet card
- @Rainy1989 for helping!
- @lyf314512 for his initial RX5500XT post
- kingo132 for implementing RX5500XT backlight control support into OpenCore
- @Nick [D]vB and @internetzel
- last but not least: @Bmju for helping getting EFI boot screen support

Technical information:
- please check out this page

I got my hands on a 4gb version of this card, can I just slap that in my imac 12.2 or do I need to set some stuff up first? My goal is to use it with Windows 11 exclusively.

 

[ShwayMac]

You might consider reading what has been posted in the posts just before your post.

Thanks, tbh....I started my post before that one was posted, so I didn't see it.
Only till after I posted it showed (page refreshed)

 

[Cloud9]

Anyone know what might cause pcie lane width to be x1 instead of x16?

Did pram reset a few times, tried reinstalling the gpu and other gpus. My firmware is dated 4.10.18 on an imac 12,2. I only have windows installed though. Reinstalling os did nothing. Thinking its either a logicboard, cpu/pin, or firmware issue.

 

[Yomaho]

Most likely UEFI and he hit he HD3000 problem which has been described including the fix in the OCLP Windows installation docs…

On my RX5500XT based iMac12,2 both macOS and Windows 10 UEFI work well (except there is no brightness control possible using Windows since we cannot mod the vBIOS and my OpenCore hack applies only to macOS).

Hi,

Sorry to ask again about that Windows Black screen but i can't find anything to solve the problem.
(It's several weeks i try to solve it).

I upgraded an iMac late 2009 27' i7 (iMac 11,1) with a Quadro k4100m GPU. Everything is working well on macOS, I even upgraded it on Big Sur via OCLP.

The problem comes with windows 10.
After the isntall, on Microsoft Basic Display everything is alright. From the moment I install nvidia drivers (from Windows update or from the nvidia website). I got random black screens on the boot.
Sometimes it starts well, sometimes not. The black screens comes after windows logo and before locking screen.
I noticed that if I boot on macOS before, windows will start well.
Sometimes i never get the locking screen, sometimes after some minutes the locking screen comes.

My iMac have no iGPU so I don't think I can have the HD3000 bug ?

His someone solved this problem i saw on several posts with no solutions ?

Thanks for reading

 

[JeffInCO]

Thanks for checking the VRAM config in my original BIOS, and determining that the ALT_VRAM BIOS has the correct timing configuration.

I'll first try putting the original GPU back in, as it still worked before I installed the WX7100. If the display artifacts go away, I can be pretty confident that the WX7100 card is the problem. If they remain, I'll swap out the display cable (I have an extra already).

I'll also try the BIOS that you attached. I haven't researched recovering from a bad flash yet; I'll cross that bridge if I need to. (Maybe need a clip-on programmer?)

Thanks again for your help!

Unfortunately, it seems that my WX7100 is bad. I tried reinstalling the original GPU that came with the iMac; the system (2010 imac 11,3) booted up fine into High Sierra and worked as it always has before I embarked on this journey.

So, I ordered a Dell WX4150, installed it, and flashed the BIOS. Without installing OCLP (but using registry mods to bypass the TPM requirement), I am able to install and run Windows 11 with acceleration. Got around 30 FPS on the Windows Unigine Valley benchmark. Macs Fan Control (running on Windows) reported GPU core temps in the high 40's C to low 50's C, with the GPU heatsink a couple of degrees *warmer* (doesn't make sense, but probably just inaccuracy in the temp sensors). Without OCLP, there's no sound in Windows 11, and I had some other intermittent issues. If I end up running windows on this machine, I'll need to work through some things (starting off with installing OCLP).

Ubuntu boots and mostly works fine, also with acceleration.

Now I have installed OCLP 1.3.0 and tried to install both Ventura and Sonoma. Both Ventura and Sonoma seem to complete the installation process, but after the final reboot as part of the installation process, I get the Apple logo with the loading bar, then the screen goes blank about 2/3 through the loading process.

Is there anything special that I need to do in OCLP to enable a Dell WX4150 running Ventura or Sonoma on a 2010 11,3 iMac 27"? I tried both with and without GPU override to GCN4.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[ImExtra]

My HP WX4150 will not work in your iMac 2011 unless 2 tiny resistors are soldered to appropriate positions on it.

would you be able to send information or link about where and type of resistors needing to be soldered on WX4150 I can totally do that and really interested. Also Thank You internetzel for your input

 

[cvasi2006]

Hi, by mistake I changed my user from admin to standard, now I can't do anything on my iMac especially since I don't even have the boot screen, can someone help me how to get out of this situation. I would like to reinstall the operating software, thank you

 

[pepepro]

dear imac superpro's,

i have a mid 2011 21,5" imac (12,1 - hope that's right), 20gb ram, ssd, original cpu and gpu.
with the help of oclp this machine is already running sonoma, quite stable to some extent.
but now i want to upgrade the gpu to help this old boy to experience it's second spring .
i have read a lot here about the different options and also some recommendations.

it's written here in the beginning of this thread that amd cards are much better supported - especially if you want to be futureproof - regarding the latest macos versions.
is this correct?

i'm thinking of buying an amd wx4130 with 2gb (the green dell model), that is offered on ebay multiple times (from chinese dealers). they sell these cards already pre-flashed with the appropriate vbios for the chosen machine. also the additional copper plate for an accurate connection to the heatsink - needed für this gpu replacement - is included.

these dealers sometimes also offer the amd wx4150 with 4gb - sounds even better - but would this one work too - without the need of extra crafting when installing it? or is this card one of the b size-factor cards, that need heatsink and some other modifications?

any helping input is very welcome!!

thanks a lot!!

best ... pepepro

 

[yezhou1225]

Hi,

Sorry to ask again about that Windows Black screen but i can't find anything to solve the problem.
(It's several weeks i try to solve it).

I upgraded an iMac late 2009 27' i7 (iMac 11,1) with a Quadro k4100m GPU. Everything is working well on macOS, I even upgraded it on Big Sur via OCLP.

The problem comes with windows 10.
After the isntall, on Microsoft Basic Display everything is alright. From the moment I install nvidia drivers (from Windows update or from the nvidia website). I got random black screens on the boot.
Sometimes it starts well, sometimes not. The black screens comes after windows logo and before locking screen.
I noticed that if I boot on macOS before, windows will start well.
Sometimes i never get the locking screen, sometimes after some minutes the locking screen comes.

My iMac have no iGPU so I don't think I can have the HD3000 bug ?

His someone solved this problem i saw on several posts with no solutions ?

Thanks for reading

Maybe the Intel HD iGPU driver issue. Some iMacs before 2014 have black screen issue due to Intel HD iGPU driver.
Or, NVRAM, or SMC.
And check the Temp sensor of LCD, when it detects wrong temperature, it will close LCD too.
For these old machines, there are many factors that can lead a black screen under windows. Even apple official has not given an accurate solution.

 

[yezhou1225]

dear imac superpro's,

i have a mid 2011 21,5" imac (12,1 - hope that's right), 20gb ram, ssd, original cpu and gpu.
with the help of oclp this machine is already running sonoma, quite stable to some extent.
but now i want to upgrade the gpu to help this old boy to experience it's second spring .
i have read a lot here about the different options and also some recommendations.

it's written here in the beginning of this thread that amd cards are much better supported - especially if you want to be futureproof - regarding the latest macos versions.
is this correct?

i'm thinking of buying an amd wx4130 with 2gb (the green dell model), that is offered on ebay multiple times (from chinese dealers). they sell these cards already pre-flashed with the appropriate vbios for the chosen machine. also the additional copper plate for an accurate connection to the heatsink - needed für this gpu replacement - is included.

these dealers sometimes also offer the amd wx4150 with 4gb - sounds even better - but would this one work too - without the need of extra crafting when installing it? or is this card one of the b size-factor cards, that need heatsink and some other modifications?

any helping input is very welcome!!

thanks a lot!!

best ... pepepro

for iMac 12,1 21.5 inch, WX 4130 and WX 4150 should be a better choice.